From the Ashes
by Angel Beech
Summary: PG-13 for minor alchohol-abuse and suggested intercourse. Kari is kicked out of her house, not invited back. She tries to figure out life, and finds TK, who helps her as she tries to start anew, with a heavy burden on her back and in her heart.
1. Boyfriend?

Chapter 1  
  
Angel: Yep, another weird fanfic....  
  
Dalil: We're trying to be serious.... well, hope you like it, please R+R!!!!!!  
  
Note to disclaimers: We don't own two pennies to rub together, what are the chances of us owning Digimon?  
  
Good-girl Kari Kamiya ran down the alley fiercely. The little life grabbed at her throat. She wasn't going to let him get to her. No way, no how! She hated this stupid game of life, and how it thought she was just a pawn it could crush. She was more than that, more than just some stupid grade A girl.....  
  
She took in a sharp breath as she thought back to how it all started.....  
  
"Party at nine!" the announcement blared out of Janine's lips. "Party at my house, nine o'clock!"  
  
Kari smiled at Janine, hoping beyond hope she might be noticed, and, more importantly, invited. A line-up of people all waited for Janine to classify them under geek-no-way or yeah-why-not. Davis and Cody pushed to the front of the line. Even though Cody was fourteen, way younger than all the others, he was popular. And Davis, seventeen, had always been handsome. Kari blushed upon looking up at him walk around. She herself wasn't yet seventeen, but still, she dreamed of Davis and her going to a movie, bowling, anything....  
  
"Of course you two are invited," Janine told them and smiled. Other popular kids grinned at them, too.  
  
Kari came clashing to reality. Her, get invited? She didn't think so. She wasn't in the in clique, but the measily little girl, not cool enough. Her lips hadn't touched a cigarette or the cool glass of a beer bottle. She was naive, a baby. She had never even had a boyfriend. A single, sixteen- year-old girl, envolved in chess club, green team, math club, and band, not a love life.  
  
"Yeah, why not," Janine let a smiling Patricia pass. Kari looked into the eyes of her best friend. Patricia got let in! She felt so happy for her! They had never been aloud to a party before, well, not a big party like this.  
  
"And you and you and you..." Janine continued, tapping Kari on the shoulder.  
  
"M... me?" Kari asked, shocked. She smoothed her plaid, pink skirt out and got up, hoping she looked OK.  
  
"Yeah, yew," Janine said, her bright lipsticked lips forming the words.  
  
Davis looked over, his spiked hair nodding in the breeze. There she stood, Kari. She was pretty, Davis decided. He liked her, even though she was a geek. Maybe he could dance with her, and pretend it was a joke. Maybe, pretend it was a joke, and change her. Yeah, he liked the sound of that. Yeah.  
  
"Hi," Kari smiled at Davis and squeaked the words. She felt her stomach tighten as she forced the words out.  
  
Cody looked at Davis and grinned evily. Davis returned it, acting, smiled back at Kari.  
  
"Hi," he said. Cody smirked and nudged Davis.  
  
"Maybe... at the party..." she began nervously, looking down. She felt stupid, as Patricia's eyes fell on her.  
  
"Yeah, maybe we could see a little of each other," Davis finnished. Cody tried his best to keep his face straight.  
  
Kari hadn't planned that. She felt her insides go hollow and she wobbled around a bit. Patricia was jumping up and down. Callum came up to Kari.  
  
He was a calm, blue haired boy. Captain of the chess club and the math club. Loved by teachers, and Kari's parents.  
  
"What a respectable, nice boy," Kari's mother said and squeazed her daughter's hand. "Get married to someone like him, Kari, and you'll go far in life."  
  
"Davis is handsome," Kari whispered. Her mother rapped her knucles.  
  
"He'll take you nowhere, Kari, nowheres at all. I've seen his crowd. Kari, he's trouble. He'll take your worth out of you, and leave you there to rot. Kari, do not see that boy!" Mrs. Kamiya replied sharply.  
  
Kari didn't want to break her mother's wishes, but Callum was just... so.... so... boring! He was nice and perfect, but he had no sense of something different. Davis was handsome, intresting, and knew all about how to intrest a girl. Kari knew she could change him, be the one he'd love. And then, her parents would be happy. And then she wouldn't feel so bad.  
  
"I'd like to dance with you, Kari," he whispered gently, expecting to receive an all-too-happy reply.  
  
"No, I'm... I'm sorry, Callum. I'm dancing with Davis," her voice was gentle, and she looked at him, appologising greatly.  
  
"Kari, Davis will take you nowhere! Listen to me! Come with me," he insisted, drawing closer too her.  
  
"No," she said, dening what her parents wanted, Callum wanted, the world wanted. She was going to do what she wanted. All to often she bowed down to please her mother and everyone. But Davis had asked her, why should she deny what she wanted?  
  
She drew away from him, and left him.  
  
"I'll get you, Kari!" his voice became raspy as she walked off. "I'll get you in the end!"  
  
She payed no attention, but went off to the squealing Patricia.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"I don't like the idea of you going to that party," Mr. Kamiya grunted.  
  
"Please Mom, Dad, please! I'll be good, they'll be no beer or anything! It's a good party, no one bad will be at it," she lied.  
  
Tai held in a laugh. He knew Davis would be there. Kari looked up at him, begging.  
  
"C'mon Dad, just because you had a boring childhood shouldn't mean Kari should have to, too," Tai said, giving her the You owe me so much look.  
  
"I didn't have a boring childhood, just a safe one!" he pronounced. "Look at me now, I don't drink or smoke and I'm a successful entepreneur. I want you kids to be like me."  
  
"Bored?" Tai poked again.  
  
"Not bored!" his father growled.  
  
"Please Dad!" begged Kari.  
  
"Let her have excitement!" he added.  
  
"Fine! Go! But don't expect to come back without double the chores! I still don't like this stupid party idea! But NO, have it your way, go ahead!" Mr. Kamiya roared.  
  
"Thank you, Daddy," Kari had just enough time to hug him before diving into her closet to debate on what to wear.  
  
"Thanks, Tai," she said softly as she went to her room.  
  
"No problem," he replied, and felt troubled, for a moment. Maybe this party wasn't such a good idea. But he pushed that from his mind. "If you ever need it again, for anything, well... ask." "I will," she promised, not knowing how much these words meant later.  
  
And so she dived, debating whether to wear a short skirt or tight jeans, and what looked flattering. She didn't have much teenage party-wear, but knew who to call.  
  
"Patricia," she said into the red phone to the curly-haired blond. "I don't know what to wear."  
  
"I'll be right over," she didn't even say good bye, but left immidiately.  
  
She arrived five minutes later, record timing.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Kamiya, is Kari there? I need to see her for something," Patricia asked the middle-aged woman.  
  
"Oh, hi, Patricia, come on in," Mrs. Kamiya grinned.  
  
Patricia dug her out from under a heap of clothes.  
  
"Help," was all Kari could manage.  
  
"Don't worry," Patricia set off to do her job.  
  
Half an hour later, it was done. She lay the outfit out on the bed.  
  
"How do you like it?" demanded Patricia.  
  
Kari looked at it. A tight jean mini-skirt and a flaring sleaved fake-suede pheasant top. There were also high black boots.  
  
"Where did you get this stuff?" she asked in shock.  
  
"The skirt came from your dresser, the shirt is mine, and the boots are my sister's," Patricia said casually. "As for your make-up, I chose some pink blush, black mascara, and plumping lipgloss."  
  
"I don't wear make-up," said Kari.  
  
"You didn't," noted Patricia. "You do now."  
  
Atlast, it was party time. Kari covered herself in a skirt and jacket as they snuc out the door. Tai was driving them.  
  
"To Janine's," Kari breathed after successfully esccaping.  
  
Tai laughed and drove off. ****************************************************************************  
  
Davis and Cody chilled out, waiting.  
  
"Are you actually gonna dance with her?" asked Cody.  
  
"Yeah, might as well," Davis tried to sound naturel. "Then, maybe check out Dora."  
  
Dora was a very popular blond who was liked by all boys. She let them do stuff with her.  
  
Chris, a member of their club, rushed over.  
  
"Davis, Kari's here, looking... well... good...." he said.  
  
Cody looked at Davis in amazement, and then looked over in the direction of Chris' chubby finger.  
  
"Hell, she is hot!" Cody exclaimed.  
  
Davis looked over too, and smiled dreamily.  
  
"Hi," he said and ran over to her.  
  
"Hi," Kari said, looking down shyly. Patricia gave her a thumbs up.  
  
Davis took her by the waist and swept her off into the slow dance. Patricia watched in her dream state.  
  
"They're such a cute couple," she sighed.  
  
From under the table beside her, Callum grunted.  
  
"Callum!" she said sharply. "What're you doing?"  
  
"Winning Kari back! Bwahahahahahahaha (cough, cough) hahahaha-HA!" was his reply.  
  
"Ye-sss...." she said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Sure, you roll your eyes now, but we'll see who's laughing when she's in my arms and we're kissing!" he said, evily.  
  
Meanwhile, Kari was having the time of her life. She lay helpless, in his arms. Gently, he rocked her back and forth.  
  
"Come with me," he whispered in her ear and guided her from the dance floor, into a small room with a bed. He still had his arm around her waist.  
  
She lay in the blankets, beside him.  
  
"Lemme get us something," he said, and was off.  
  
He returned with two fancy bottles. In the darkness, she couldn't see much, but she would do anything for him. To know him, to love him... She was all into him.  
  
"Here," he tilted the bottle into her mouth. She felt his hand supporting her neck and gulped the gentle, fizzy taste of alcohol. She was out in an instant, and started to fall asleep to his carressing and gentle rubbing.  
  
"Huh," she said. She awoke an hour later, suddenly realising what was happening.  
  
"I love you," he said, and kissed her.  
  
She realised she was next to naked, with him in the same position.  
  
"What are you doing to me?!" she cried as she felt something change her life forever.  
  
  
  
  
  
So, how d'you like it? It's a little dirty now, but just you wait. Please R+R!!!!!!! I'm gonna continue soon. Tell me what you like and don't like, Please!!!! 


	2. False faith?

Chapter 2  
  
Angel: Yep, chapter 2 is up! Sorry it took so long.  
  
Dalil: Thanks to all those who reviewed chapter 1. By the way, Angel's got MSN now, so if you are intrested on joining her contact list, please e-mail her. Sorry if this is a short chapter, but we've got a big science project and I've been sick.......  
  
Note to disclaimer: See first note to disclaimer.....  
  
  
  
Kari felt sick for the next day, and the day after that.it might have been the fact that she was pregnant, or maybe that she felt so worried. Pregnant?! She was to scared too tell her mother, it just wasn't something she thought she could cope with. She had something like a fever, flu, and headache all mixed in. There were days when she felt like she couldn't go on, then there were days when she felt OK. She remebered telling Davis.  
  
"Davis...?" she dragged him into a corner one day. It was well known they were going out.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, not really concentrating.  
  
"I'm... pregnant," she spilled, and looked up into his eyes. He looked down, and Kari saw the first look of pity he had ever given.  
  
"Oh... oh, Kari, I'm so sorry..... We'll work it out. I'll be there for you. I.... I promise. I really do. Come on, we can always put it up for addoption. Or maybe we can look after it, together. Oh Kari, I'm really sorry, I really am," he stammered, and gently, her kissed her.  
  
Kari looked up at him, and her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"I know, Dai, I know, but.... I just... can't believe this is happening. At only sixteen, oh, Dai, I just.... I dunno," she ended lamely.  
  
"I'll be there for you," he promised again. "Forever and ever. Hey, maybe for my eighteenth (yeah, he's seventeen) birthday, I'll get an appartement an' car, and a job or something. A part-time college and everything'll work out. I know it will, Kari, I promise."  
  
He kissed her again, (Note: In Japan, people can get married slightly younger.) And Kari once again felt the warmth and comfort of his love, and she felt secure and safe..... for the time being.  
  
There were days when Kari just couldn't hide being pregnant. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya were away most of the summer, the time when Kari was going threw the most pregnant. Mrs. Kamiya noted to her friends that 'Kari was going threw a weight-gaining' stage, yet no one really knew. There were so many sick days before, and kids whispered behind her back, but Davis kept true to his word. He assisted her everywhere. He wrote her love notes in best writing on his finest paper. He took extra time each day just to make sure she could laugh and have a good time. They started planning out what to name the baby. A good father? Perhaps.  
  
It happened some day in September. Kari felt it. It was just so clear. She knew it was life, and it was the day she feared forever. She nearly cried, but kept it in. Calmly, she approached her mother.  
  
"Mom," she said, thought she could hardly stand, so she sat.  
  
"Yes Kari?" her mother asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, Mom, I have a problem," she started.  
  
"Does it have anything to do with your weight gaining?" Mrs. Kamiya asked worriedly.  
  
"Well, yes, but...." Kari tried to find the right words. There was silence for five minutes. "Mom, I'm pregnant! Going threw labour as we speak!"  
  
Her mother looked at her and started to open her mouth, then stopped. She tried to open it again, and then blinked. Another few minutes went by before she could speak, and her words were not excited.  
  
"Go!" she screamed, horribly and loudly, like a raging dragon. "Get that disgrace out of my house, we have a proper family! Sex comes after marriage, and not at sixteen! Get rid of that disgrace! GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Kari started to cry tears of betrayal and heartthrob, worst than ever she had felt. Tai ran into the kitchen and tried to assist Kari to his car.  
  
"Stop!" bellowed their mother.  
  
"Mom, didn't you ever make a mistake?! Didn't you?! I'm helping my younger sister, whether you fucking like it or not! Face it Mom, it happens!"  
  
"Get out!" she screamed, not a Tai, but at Kari, sobbing in his arms. And then, she fainted.  
  
Her next memory was in the car, with Tai. He was crying, and his dirty face was streaked with tears, and his eyes were blood-red. He looked so much more serious, so much older.  
  
"God Kari," he said as soon as he saw she had come back. "I didn't know...... if I had... you would've never gone to that fuckin' party. Shit, I'm so sorry! Oh Kari, Kari!"  
  
"It's OK, how could you have known? It's really not your....." she croaked, and couldn't end.  
  
He was sobbing again, and she cried with him. She felt like something had been ripped out of her. Family wasn't getting kicked out because you thought you would have a boyfriend. Family was acceptance. She was a disgrace.  
  
"Tai," she said finally. "I need your cellphone, lemme phone Davis."  
  
She dialed in the comforting numbers, with whose ring she had so much faith in.  
  
"Hello? This is Kari.... Yes, Kari, is Davis there? Could I talk to him?" she asked Davis' mother patiently.  
  
"Oh, Kari," she paused. "I thought you knew. Davis moved down with his cousin, away in Kyoto."  
  
Horrified, she hung up to the teller of the false faith. Davis had betrayed her.  
  
  
  
So, Kari's baby is about to be born. Wadd'ya think, what should it's name be? Boy or girl? What should it look like? OK, sorry for short chapter, bye! 


	3. Two lives

Chapter 3  
  
Thanks to my reviewers. I know, it was going a little fast, but I was having a hard time describing pregnancy. It'll slow down now. Ku Raha shall be born.  
  
Note to disclaimers: If I own it, I'll phone you. Don't expect a call.  
  
Kari was pushing as hard as she possibly could. She felt overwhelmed... like it was impossible. But then, she felt all the tension suddenly release and the air filled with overwhelming sobs. Crying came from the mouth of the tiny infant of whom she had just delivered.  
  
"Here is your child. It's a girl," one of the nurses smiled at Kari as she handed her the tiny figure. She was red in the face and had a couple blood stains. Her fuzzy hair was a tiny light brown. As Kari took her, she immidiatly stopped crying.  
  
Kari held her up to her chest. She breathed hard as the baby nuzzled around in her arms. She held her tighter, but gently. What would she name her? She looked at the list she and Davis had made. It was long, devided in two collums, one for girl, other for boy. Black ink filled two pages. She remembered their conversation.  
  
"I like Ria," he said thoughtfully. "Ria for girl, Donald for boy, maybe. I've always liked Donald."  
  
"Hey, here's an intresting name; Ku Raha. I like it," Kari nodded as she flipped threw a book of baby names.  
  
"I don't really," Davis had said. "To long. To hard. I could never say, 'Ku Raha'. Never."  
  
She got out of her trance in memories. Suddenly, she grinned evily. Davis didn't matter. She hated him. Why not name her something she liked? It was her baby. Dai would never see it. He didn't deserve the honor of this beauty. She was hers. Hers. No one else's. Hers.  
  
"What would you like to name it?"the nurse asked, taking a pen and notebook out of her pocket.  
  
"Ku Raha," said Kari firmly. "Ku Raha Kiri Kamiya."  
  
It was done. Ku gazed up into Kari's eyes, even though her own were hardly open. Her Momma's were brown. Brown. Brown like a... she didn't know anything brown yet. Someday she'd say chocolate brown, but she didn't know of chocolate yet.  
  
"Ku," Kari said lullingly in a hushed, gentle voice. She kissed her baby on the top of her head. "Ku, I promise. I won't run like Daddy. I will be by you forever. Never will I leave you. I promise. I promise. I promise."  
  
Ku relaxed herself in her arms. Momma would stay. Who was Daddy? What was a Daddy? What did he do? What had he done? This world was a lot more complicated than the other one. It was bigger. It was square, she thought someone had called it a room. She liked world Room better than world Tummy. Nicer. Cleaner. Whiter.  
  
Kari started singing gently, a tiny, clear song. Like a bird. There seemed to be a chant in the background. 'Ku Raha, Ku Raha, Ku Raha, Ku Raha.' Ku sniffed a bit before falling to sleep. The world was calling to her. She was something. Ku Raha, she was a Ku Raha. What was a Ku Raha? She did not know.  
  
"Hello?" Tai walked in an hour later, to find Kari, gently rocking Ku back and forth. He looked at the whole sceen. First he saw Kari, eyes closed, an expression of peace on her face. He thought she was sleeping. Then he saw a baby, dressed only in a blanket on the bed in her cradling arms. Boy or girl? Tai did not know. The room was white and clean, and Kari was neatly tucked in. It was hard to believe that earlier there had been so much hurt and denial.  
  
He hated Davis. He despized him. First getting her pregnant and kicked out of the house, now abandoning her, like she was a toy he had begged to have, but didn't want anymore. Where would she go? How could she take care of two lives when it was hard enough taking care of one? He hoped Matt would reply soon, he hoped he had an answer to atleast one of the questions.  
  
Their parents were still furious. The Kamiya family was a 'proper' family. It did not put up with 'mistakes'. It was not proper for a fifteen- year-old girl to get pregnant. Preganancy was for 25 years and plus. That was the proper way. The Kamiyas were proper.  
  
"Kar?" Tai asked softly.  
  
"Yea?" Kari replied with a tired but content expression on her face. Her head leaned over on her left shoulder. Her eyes were just half open and she looked at peace, not a bit shocked or angry, but at peace. Content with the world.  
  
"Well," Tai walked over and seated himseld at the side of her bed. It was hard, but soft at the same time. Like wood coated with a million pillows. He felt it sink down as he sat. He was weighted down with the weight of worry. It was Kari's problem, but Tai was a worrier. It was in his nature. Just the way he was. When he went to the fair he worried it would rain. If something to really fear actually did come up, he'd worry worse. AND he'd make it his duty to help solve it. Especially when it envolved HIS little sister. When the chips were down, she knew she could count on him. Unless, of course, the chips were edible. Edible chips were a different matter, especially especially if thet were garlic.  
  
"Well what?" Kari asked, knowing what to expect. Tai had so much to say. He could say, 'Well, what are you going to do?' or 'Well, how d'you feel?' or 'Well, I'm outta here, ba bye!' She knew he would never say the last one. That was Davis' 'well' answer. The word well was such a horrible word to use now. 'Well' meant 'good'. She was not good, yet 'Well' usually associated itself with doom, or anger, or angst.  
  
"Well, who do we have here?" Tai tried to force a smile, chosing the pleasantest of his 'well' replies. He looked at the baby. It was cute and small, Tai had to smile for real. Definately took after Kari. He grinned as he thought when it would be older. Whenever it was bad it could just say, "The Davis side did it." It would be the truth.  
  
"Her name is Ku Raha Kiri Kamiya," Kari smiled at him, holding her up for Tai to see. "Ku, this is Tai," she whispered to her.  
  
"She's gorgeous," Tai took her from Kari's hands and rocked it like she had. He held her head up to his face and admired every tiny detail. She was beautiful. Every perfectly placed hair and eyelash, every line on her lip, everything looked so serene and detailed, perfectly molded.  
  
As he held her, he thought.  
  
"I always thought the first grandchild would come from me and my wife, whoever that will be," he grinned as the words crept through his head. Wife? Him, have a wife? Karleen, then Marla, then Nina had dumped him. He wasn't enough to keep them satisfied. He was too boyish, with all his crazy ideas and games. Too silly. The night Karleen had dumped him, that's what she had said, "You're too childish. You don't even want a serious relationship. What's with you and being virgin?"  
  
The words cut across his mind. What was with him and being virgin? He had never wanted otherwise. He had never met a girl who he had wanted to do 'it' with. He had never felt ready, mature enough. Mature, he was, but not ready for a baby. He wasn't like other kids. He thought of the consiquences.  
  
"Kari," he said after a few minutes.  
  
"Uh huh?" she asked drowsily.  
  
"Well," he began with the horrible word again. "Where will you live?"  
  
"I dunno," she replied, looking worried.  
  
"Well, I have a friend, an very old friend, named Matt. He has a brother, TK, who has an appartement of his own. You know him from along time ago. You won't really remember each other, but Kari," he said and his voice lowered. "Kari, he'll give you one of his rooms for free. You'll have a place to live, Kari! It's a little less than an hour away from here, but I could still visit you almost everyday. Kari, you could live there!"  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, he's a stranger. God knows what...., I mean I'm a mother... Tai, are you sure?"  
  
"I trust him with all my heart," he replied.  
  
Kari looked at Tai, and then at Ku. She sighed. It was the only way.  
  
"When will I leave?" she asked.  
  
Tai nearly jumped for joy.  
  
"Whenever you leave the hospital."  
  
  
  
  
  
OK, do you like it? I know, it was a kind of slow chapter, but I hope it wasn't too boring. This was short, but I'll try to update soon and make the next chapter longer!  
  
Oh, I like reviews, and especially love contructive critism. Tell me, how could I improve it, or what would you like to see? Bye! 


	4. Wishing her back

Chapter 4  
  
Dalil: Hey, I'm back  
  
Angel: Yea, she wasn't in the last chapter.  
  
Dalil: I was sick..... darn flu :( Just a note about this chappie: Japanese children tend to leave their parents for housing earlier than us North Americans do. Just a note....  
  
Angel: But she's back. Now let's get on with the story....  
  
Note to Disclaimers: We no own.  
  
"'Lo?" a teenaged boy answered the door. He looked about the same age as Kari, with short, slightly shaggy blonde hair and bright ocean eyes. Kari could tell he must have some skill with basketball, because he was so tall, and of the jersey he wore.  
  
"Hi," Kari drew a breath in. "I'm Kari Kamiya, the sister of Tai. I hear that you have some place I could.... stay?"  
  
She hesitated on the last word. This would hopefully be where she stayed. Staying wasn't very promising. She needed a place to live. But that was too much to ask for right now, and she didn't want to bother him. She wasn't even sure if she would stay. The appartement looked somewhat small, so he might not want her in a couple of days. But she couldn't really tell, because he was blocking the doorway.  
  
"Yea," he smiled. "C'mon in."  
  
He beckoned her with his finger, and moved out of the doorway so she could see it and enter her current 'staying' place. But she remained frozen on the spot.  
  
"You can come in," he repeated, hoping she wouldn't think he thought she was stupid. He said the words uneasily. She looked small and shy, but fierce and full of determination. Someone you could get away with, but someone you wouldn't want to mess with.  
  
"That makes no sense," he grinned to himself. It was a nervous grin.  
  
"I'm not entering a house of a guy who I don't even know the name of. I trust my brother. I trust my brother's friends. But I still need to know your name, because you're a brother of a friend of my brother," she replied, scrutenizing him from every angle.  
  
"Takeru, my name's Takeru. But you can call me Tee or Kay or TK or Tee Kay or whatever," TK grinned and turned back into his normsl, goofball state.  
  
Kari approached the door, but he blocked her. She looked up at him in concern.  
  
"I'm not letting anyone I don't know the name of in my place, even if it is the sister and baby of my brother's friend," he joked, then stoped, wondering if she would be offended.  
  
She did look a bit like that at first, but then she revealed a small smile.  
  
"My name is Hikari Kamiya. But you can call me Hika or Kari or Kar or Hika Kari," she mocked him, like they were old friends. "And this is Ku Raha Kiri Kamiya. But you can call her Ku or Raha or Kiri or K or U."  
  
TK/Tee/Kay/Takeru/Tee Kay laughed and unblocked the door, letting her in. She carried a small suitcase, a backpack, and a baby.  
  
"D'you need anymore help with your lugage?" he asked, gazing at her few belongings.  
  
"Yea, thanks. They're out right by the door," Kari instructed him.  
  
TK sighed in relief, until he saw the rest of it. A shoebox and another suitcase.  
  
"D'you have enough stuff to live?" he asked. "I mean, like clothes for you and Ku? Like deodorant and... well.... living stuff? Cuz you don't have very much."  
  
"I would if I had time to pack," she said grimly. "My Mom kicked me outta the house, and this is all Tai could manage to bring. He promised he'd bring more if he could, or if Mom hasn't destroyed it first."  
  
TK knew this was a hard subject for a girl to talk about. Being pregnant, scared, and outcasted by all but her brother. But he was indeed part Ishida, like his brother, and Ishidas were curious. Not nosy, well, yes, sometimes nosy, but curious.  
  
He remembered having a spy club when he was little. They had their spy cameras, codes, secret handshakes and signs. Every day they had their neighbourhood watch duties. They never stopped any crimes, or atleast, not any real ones, but they loved it.  
  
There was this mean kid, Davis. TK forgot his last name, but he was a real bully. He had a little group of kids who liked picking on TK and the 'Ninja Spies' as they called themselves. But whenever the chips were down, TK always knew that Matt would always get him out of the tough spots. He shamed the sorry name of that loser, Davis. He moved away sometime later, and left Matt, TK, and the rest of the Ninja Spies in peace  
  
He guessed that Tai was a good older brother. He always got Kari out of the tough spots too. But this was way worse than a gang of bullies or the forces of good verses evil. This was a crime against teenage humanity. Being raped, kicked out, and blamed for it.  
  
"What about your Dad?" he asked, the nosy Ishida rousing in him.  
  
Kari smirked.  
  
"Dad? He agrees. They're loving parents, I guess, but they have bad anger problems. They're so obsessed with the superficiel version of 'perfect' that they've just screwed up their soul. I think they'll regret this sometime, but that won't be until a long time, when all the anger's gone," Kari replied.  
  
"Wow," TK looked at her.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Well, it's just.... like, you don't seem to care about talking about your problems. You haven't dissed your parents or the guy who made you pregnant or anything. Like, teenage pregnancy is a big problem for someone to cope with, but you're...." he paused. "Different."  
  
She gazed up at him, in the middle of the living room, with Ku in her arms.  
  
"Having a baby isn't a problem," she told him. "It's a joy. Being thrown out of your house is a problem. Being raped is a problem. Pregnancy and babies are facts. Joys."  
  
"Whatever," he said, trying to understand her. 'Twasn't fair she had this burden of a baby.... no, the burdens coming off the baby, yet she was more calm about it than him. He was more of the jump into it, and take sweet revenge. The compasionately crushing of the annoying enemy. It wasn't that he was cruel and cold hearted, but he didn't like being taken advantage of by people. Not stubborn, but fierce, yet friendly. Like a hunting dog, ready to pounce, but friendly.  
  
Kari explored the place a bit. It wasn't very big, but it had enough room for her, TK, and the baby to fit comfortably. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, which connected on to the kitchen. All were shabbily decorated, with but a few homy touches. There were quite a few garbage cans in each room, but there wasn't even a piece of trash in any. Each article of digusting slop was dumped on the floor. Messy, but not quite dirty. Still half sanitary, but Kari wasn't taking any chances.  
  
"Hand me the squwee-gee!" she demanded. TK looked at her in confusion.  
  
"Wut the...?" he pondered why she would want one.  
  
"To clean," she said, a slight exasparated tone in her voice.  
  
"Clean? God, it's been ages since I've done that!" he looked at her strangely.  
  
"Laundry?" she asked.  
  
"Huh?" he queried.  
  
"Don't you wear clean clothes?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"As long as it doesn't stink it's fine by me," he shrugged.  
  
"And to eat...?" Kari knew there was little chance of hearing what she wanted.  
  
"I think we have some Kraft Diner, it's kinda stale, but... it'll do, right?" was his reply.  
  
Kari slapped her head in frustration and started madly writing down nessecary items.  
  
"Get... these..." she gasped and sent him off to go shopping.  
  
Meanwhile, she started cleaning the house. There were dishes that looked like they hadn't been washed in months. She scraped what looked like clumpy spaghetti sauce off a green plastic plate. That small task took about an hour, just to clean them all. Then she set off to do the laundry. She randomly picked up shirts thrown about the floor, a couple mate-missing socks, other articles of clothing strewn across the floor.  
  
Ku started crying.  
  
"Ooooo, baby, what's wrong, Ku?" Kari rushed to feed/change/clean the baby. There was a bit more moaning as Kari rocked her... then 'Bleh!'  
  
Kari looked at the lumpy stain on the back of her shirt. Burping wasn't pleasant. Atleast now she had another shirt for the laundry....  
  
Meanwhile, lost somewhere in the middle of the Kwik-Ezee-and-Savemart, TK pondered what on earth Kari meant by 'Edible food' and 'not that KD crap'. Wasn't Kraft Dinner edible? Didn't it make up part of the food guide? Wasn't it a grain product? Didn't the cheese count as dairy? What was edible? He eyed the chocolate ice cream. His stomach let out a groan of hunger. Sugar was the most important food group in his heart....  
  
"Davis, are you OK?" Sharleen looked at him, and studied him carefully. Dai wasn't the same as usual. He wasn't the usual big-talking, show-offy brunette.  
  
Dai looked into the blonde's eyes. He wasn't OK, he felt sick to the stomach. He wanted Kari back, even with the kid, and he felt sick with guilt. Her name echoed in his mind. Ka-ri, Ka-ri, Ka-ri. He would get her back. Never mind his new girlfriend, Sharleen, he wanted her ba...  
  
"Is this how you're gonna be?" snorted a voice.  
  
Dai looked up. It was a young girl with light brown hair that waved and feel down her back, with bright chocolate-brown eyes. She was dressed in flared jeans and a blue tee-shirt, casually slung over another long-sleeved shirt.  
  
"Are you just gonna go from girl to girl, and just ditched them when you want another, or when the times are tough, huh? Huh, huh? Cuz I'm not happy, Davis, not at all. Mom's not either. She doesn't want you to come home. Stay here," the girl shook her finger like a mother would to a naughty child as she proclaimed the warning.  
  
"Sharli... did you.. Huh?" Davis blinked as the image of the girl vanished. His mouth hung somewhat open.  
  
"What?" Sharleen demanded in return.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Davis sighed, knowing it was no use. But it didn't matter, he was going anyway. Going to see Kari, like it or not!  
  
  
  
  
  
OK, there's our chapter. We hope you like it, and please review if you did! And I'd also like ANY constructive critism, ANY! 


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